maandag 23 april 2012

I’ve always been mainly an LA Dodgers fan. I knew they played in Brooklyn, but that's way in the past. But last year I had this feeling I wanted to know more about the team during their time in Brooklyn. I read ‘Forever Blue’ which I reviewed last month. The book had some photos in it and my curiosity was piqued. During my stay in LA a few weeks back I stubled upon the book ‘Through a blue Lens: The Brooklyn Dodger Photographs of Barney Stein 1937-1957’. It opened up a whole new world for me. Stein was the Jon SooHoo of his time and paints some great pictures with his camera. Fantastic pictures of Snider, Robinson, Campy, Reese and more. You know the names and seen their faces, but not as intimately as in the photos in this book. All black and white photos, which gives the Brooklyn era that 'old days' look. Not only are there photos, the accompanying text is interesting as well. All in all a great book to have on your shelf and to leaf through once in a while.

donderdag 19 april 2012

The morning of April 10th was sunny. A perfect day for a home opener. I had accepted an invitation to a tailgating party at Elysium Park from one of my fellow facebook Dodger fan friends. I arrived at 9am and people were already firing up the bbq’s, wrapping Dodger Dogs in bacon, East LA style, and playing catch. It was fun to see how people reacted when they saw this fan from the Netherlands, actually at opening day. I talked to some people and we had a group picture taken. Turned out, most of them were Left Field Pavilion season ticket holders. I told them I had an LFP ticket for tommorows game. And what do you know, I’d be right in their section.

Around 11am I walked to the stadium and the place was a already filling up nicely. When I arrived at the stadium club level I heard someone call my name. It was Dodger Bobble. I was surprised he recognised me since I was donning my Dodgers Jersey and cap. So was everybody else. He’s a great guy. We talked for a while and during that time we saw Larry King walk by and Maury Wills. Old dudes, but highly respected ones. Larry was already a Dodgers fan when they still played in Brooklyn.

The pregame stuff was awesome. The Beach Boys, including Brian Wilson (the only Brian Wilson who is welcome at Dodger Stadium), sang Surfer Girl, which gave me goose bumps since it’s all so very California for a guy from the Netherlands. A group of at least 200 army personnel walked in this (excuse the language) fucking huge American flag which was rolled out and the Beach Boys sang the national anthem.

White doves were set free and two F18 planes did a fly over. Only in America! Retired Dodger players came onto the field. Then the daughter of former owner Walter O’Malley threw the first ball, to Tom Lasorda. It was all very impressive, but what we came for was only just beginning.

Kershaw, who had a cold a few days earlier, was lights out on the mound. Dee Gorden was the first hitter, got on base, stole second and before we knew it, he scored and we were 1 run up. The Pirates scored a few innings later. Kenley Jansen (a real Dutch Dodger) threw an amazing inning and in the eigth inning, Andre Ethier celebrated his birthday by hitting a ball out of there. Final score 2-1 in a short game (2 and a half hours). I met up with Enrique who had saved all six bobble heads that were given out last season as SGA’s. He lend me his MVP card zo I could ho on the field and play some catch. Unfortunately there was a long line and I didn’t bring a glove.

It was the experience of a lifetime. That first week in which every fan dreams of the Commissioner's Trophy, everthing is possible at that moment.

maandag 9 april 2012

Being a Star Wars fan and having a nice collection of books about the subject I can say I don’t like books with titles like: trivia book, quiz book, the real fan’s book of knowledge, facts about... Most of these books include the same information. Stuff we already know or is so far fetched, we don’t care!
This is why I was not tempted to buy “101 reasons to love the Dodgers”. But when I leafed through it, I was surprised by the quality of the images they used in this hard cover book. It really has a great look and feel. And... Some interesting facts. Most of them well known to a Dodger fan, but some fun surprises. Best of all this is a book I can hand to friends who ask me “why the Dodgers?” well, read this, there are (at least) 101 reasons why!

woensdag 4 april 2012

Can you connect the past with the present? Or can you arrange it in a way you are part of it? I like to think so. I had my picture taken with Ethier in 2007, a few years before his hitting streak. I can say "That's me and that guy, who had a record breaking hitting streak in April". Or that pic I'm in with Orel Hershiser. "That guy had a great season in 1988". It's fun to briefly cross someone's lifepath like that. So when I realized it will be exactly 50 years ago on April 10th the Dodgers played their first game at Dodger Stadium ánd that game is the season home opener for the 2012 season I didn't have to think twice (or even once).
So I asked my g/f nicely and booked a flight to LA. Made reservations at a hotel and impatiently waited for the single game tickets to go on sale. I got a ticket on the first try and so I got confirmation my ticket to the home opener and the game the next day will be waiting for me at the Will Call window.
Things got even better when word got out that McCourt picked a new owner. He's finally leaving, which calls for a magical party at the home opener. With the sounds of the one and only Beach Boys. Hope to see some of you there!

maandag 2 april 2012

“my bat boy days: what I learned from the boys of summer” is the full title of the book written by Steve Garvey. A bit of a long title for a thin book (148 pages) with a large font.
Garvey describes what he’s learned in the six years (1956-1961) he was a bat boy for The Dodgers during spring training or exhibition games. After a short intro about how he became a bat boy, Garvey describes the players all in their own chapter: Reese, who I learned is part Dutch, Hodges, Robinson, Erskine, Snider, Campenella, Koufax and non-Dodgers Mantle and Kaline. Most of those players have an (auto)biography, but here you get a mini biography of each of them.
It’s an easy book, Garvey put in loads of quotes from biographies. One of the up sides, if you don’t know whose (auto)biography you want to read, is that you can read this book and pick the Dodger you want. A bit like CliffsNotes.
I felt the need to know more about The Duke so I’ll read ’The Duke of Flatbush’ first. Once again: an easy book, but it’s nice to see one of the Dodgers best players of the 70’s and 80’s paying tribute to those who wore Dodger Blue before him.